Set in the guarded but elite corridors of Lutyens’ Delhi, Arunima Tenzin Tara’s chilling debut novel “The Ex Daughters of Tolstoy House” dissects the dynamics of a family housing decaying patriarchal silence.

The author was in conversation with independent journalist Swati Daftuar at an event in the national capital on Wednesday.

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At the core of this gothic tale, lie three sisters Sujata, Kavita, and Naina, living under the careful gaze of mother Meera and father Ambarish. Through the time shifts and visceral details, Tara explores the sacrosanct idea of a mother-daughter bond, pushed to its extremes.

“It began as a murder mystery,” the writer confessed, explaining how she later digressed, as the plot demanded more- a peeling of layers than a typical final twist.

As Daftuar questioned her on her choice of utilising Delhi as a central character, and why Tolstoy House particularly, Tara described the coveted setting as “insular and isolated”, something that suited the secretive family of Naina. She described how she consciously designed the layout to subvert traditional mysteries, exaggerating the known concepts, laying out everything before the plain sight and letting the discomfort build scar by scar.

The writer talked about the female characters she added, and how she used them as the embodiment of survival driven strength in the toxic environment. On Ambarish, the revered and equally feared patriarch, Daftuar asked how she conceptualized this ambiguous figure.

To this Tara added how she didn’t want to reduce him into a villainous caricature, rather pictured him into this provider for his daughters, also their respite in moments, yet always wanting something in return.

Another element is food, both comforting yet sinister, is seamlessly laced into the narrative. “The recipes are mine,” she smiled , “though some were stolen from my grandmother.” Like every other detail, she added even food, something very personal to her, hides something darker beneath.

Daftuar also asked about the graphic details that dotted the plot, especially the role of blood, which has been described intimately in the plot. To this Tara candidly linked this to her own journey with endometriosis, which shaped her visceral relationship with blood and the body.

Edited by Renuka Chatterjee of Speaking Tiger, Tara reflected on her evolution as a writer for the first time. “I am an underwriter by nature, and had cut back on details many times, until my editor asked me to ‘Go all out’” She explained how the characters evolved throughout the numerous drafts , but the story remained constant—a steady pulse through all its iterations.